There is nothing like a contrast to make the point; Jesus used the idea of contrast to highlight Who He is, and to distinguish external religion from true devotion.

The Power of Contrast
(Mark 12:35-44)
1. Illustration … a few years ago,. Trying to tell someone about the Windfarm on I-65 in NW Indiana. This person had never seen the big windmills, and was thinking of a place with 3 tiny windmills on US 31.. or the types farmers use to pump water
...read more

The Bible would be a depressing book about sinful people... if it weren't for the "last chapter". God took the story of Adam and Eve and built His last chapter of the story around a man, a garden and a tree. What do these 3 tell us about God's plan?

OPEN: I read the true story of a little girl who was sick and home from school. She and her mother got to talking about what they’d learned in Sunday School the day before and the little girl said: “If it weren’t for Adam and Eve, I wouldn’t be sick.”
Her mother was
...read more

I want to begin with a few questions. Feel free to shout out the answer.
Q: An electric train is moving north at 100 mph and a wind is blowing to the west at 10 mph. Which way does the smoke blow?
A: There is no smoke with an electric train.
Q: If there are 6 apples and you take
...read more

The story of the woman caught in the act of adultery and Jesus' response to the scribes and Pharisees' query about the law is one of the most intriguing episodes in the bible. Why did Jesus act in a way that on the surface seemed contrary to the law?

Note: I developed a set of slides on PowerPoint for my use in delivering this sermon. If you are interested in having the slides, send an Email to sam@srmccormick.net with the word “Slides” in the subject line and “Neither Do I Condemn You” in either the subject line or the body of the message, and
...read more

Paul is now a Prisoner, and we will follow his life as a prisoner. From this point on we find Paul defending himself and his ministry. He will appear before several rulers. Because the Jews are plotting his death, he will be taken down to Caesarea.

The “unclean spirit” is Satan or his demons. Satan delights in causing uncleanness in persons, places and things. His going out of a man, as presented here, is voluntary, not like his eviction by force as when Christ cast out demons.

Harmony of the Gospels
-AD 28-
Capernaum
Title: Jesus Answers a Demand for a Sign
Matthew 12:38-45, Luke 11:24-26, 29-36
-Matthew-
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
44 Then he saith, I will return into
...read more

Many in the Body of Christ are living in compromise. They are allowing the world to dictate what they will and will not believe about the Bible. How does this happen? Peter and John's confrontation with the religious leaders in Acts 4 shows us how.

I was thinking about Bro. Alain’s message this morning and what saddens me so much is how much of the Body of Christ is living in compromise and we don’t even realize it. And I thought about a Republican senator here in Ohio who came out strong and hard against homosexuality. He came out strong and
...read more